There are six verses in Acts 2:42-47. In those six verses, two huge things stuck out to me:
Unified: There are seven references that reveal the great unity that existed in this church. ‘Everyone’ was filled with awe. ‘All’ the believers were together and had ‘everything’ in common. They gave to ‘anyone’ as they had need. ‘Every day’ they met together. They enjoyed the favor of ‘all’ the people. The Lord added to their number ‘every day’ those who were being saved. These people were all on the same page, seeking the same thing at the same time. Unified.
Simplicity: The word “devoted” in 2:42 means “attended constantly to”. Attended constantly to what? Four things:
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The apostles teaching (Scripture).
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Fellowship (with each other).
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Breaking of bread (remembering).
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Prayer (relationship with God).
This is what they did. Though they had jobs and hardships just like we do, the essence of what they were devoted to was very, very simple. They attended constantly to learning and living out Scripture, being with each other, remembering their savior, and deepening their relationship with God through prayer. Simplicity.
The result? Unified Simplicity. An amazing, Christ-centered family that was learning about their faith, living out their faith and being transformed by their faith in radical and unthinkable ways!
And that, my friends, is what I want. It is what I want for me, my family and my church. Many, many people in our culture today are not interested in the Christian church. But what if the church looked like this? Many, many Christians today are not interested in the Christian church…but what if the church looked like this?
1 comment
Gary Alexander says:
August 17, 2010 at 9:48 am (UTC -4 )
Like many others, I too long for Unified Simplicity in our church and therefore in my life. However, the question is how do we achieve it and still live in today’s world? I don’t think our Lord ever advocated that we drop out and only spend time with our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we did this, then we could not be lights to the unsaved. Yet to be in the world dictates that we spin faster and faster to keep up with our smart phones, email, facebook, world news, the markets, etc., etc., etc., distracting us more and more from face to face relationships with our brothers and our Lord. I long for the days of tethered phones, no cable, and typewriters. Guess I’m sounding like all of my 55 years.
I worry for my grandchildren.